


The time Percy got trapped in a tomb

by OmittedWords



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Ancient Egypt, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmittedWords/pseuds/OmittedWords
Summary: Fred and George trap Percy in a tomb as a joke. When Bill and Ron go to free him, they find the place empty except for a mysterious golden bracelet.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	The time Percy got trapped in a tomb

**Author's Note:**

> QLFC Round Four
> 
> Chaser 2: Historical- May be based on a real story or legend, but is usually based in a real historical time period and place
> 
> Optional prompts: 4. (Character) Ron Weasley, 13. (Relationship) Family, 14. (Word) Effort
> 
> Word count: 2995

"This wall depicts Queen Meresankh III and her mother Queen Hetepheres II. It shows them both sailing across the river Nile," explained Bill. Ginny was drinking in every word and the twins were surprisingly fascinated. Ron, however, was fidgeting and looked as though he could care less about the tomb.

"Bill. What are those statues over there?" asked Ginny.

"Those are ten statues of women, which is a quite unusual way of decorating a tomb. We're not entirely sire who they're depicting but-" Bill broke off with a slight frown. Ron was making weird gestures with his hand, obviously trying to get his attention. "Anyway, Johnson how about you take over the tour now?" His colleague nodded before leading the group towards the statues, leaving Bill to approach Ron who was lingering at the back of the group.

"What's wrong, Ron?"

"It's Percy."

" _Percy?_ "

"The twins led him down there." Ron gestured towards the staircase leading down to the burial chamber. "They soon came up, but Percy still hasn't come. I thought they might've done something."

"I _told_ them the burial chamber was off limits," groaned Bill, stalking off towards the staircase and lighting up his wand. He should admonish the twins but that could wait until he'd found Percy. "Thanks for telling me. You should go and join the group now."

"What? No, I want to go with you."

"You aren't allowed in the burial chamber."

"But you wouldn't have known about Percy if I hadn't told you."

Bill sighed. Ron was annoyingly persistent.

"Fine. But not a word to anyone. I had to pull a lot of strings to arrange this tour and I'd be in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out. You do realise this tomb isn't open to the public yet?"

Ron nodded, beaming. It was clear that he was extremely curious.

"I must want you," said Bill as he descended the stairs, "there isn't anything to see."

"Yeah," said Ron, not sounding the least deterred.

"Careful coming down the stairs. Now-" he'd reached the end of the stairs and Bill held his wand out. "Where's Percy?"

He stepped into the chamber which was completely bare.

"Percy isn't here," he informed Ron who'd jumped off the last stair with a loud thump.

"But he must be! I would've seen him if he'd gone up the stairs."

"That's true. Maybe he'd found a passage." They hadn't found anything of the sort during the raid nevertheless he started casting detection spells, just to be sure.

"There's no inclination of a passageway. Are you sure- RON!" He broke off urgently at the sight of a gold bracelet around Ron's wrist, set with glittering turquoise jewels. "You shouldn't have put that on. It could've been cursed. Where did you find it?"

"Just over there, by the staircase."

"We'd done a very thorough search and I'm certain there was nothing like that!" The bracelet was glittering brightly- no they were _glowing_ now. "Ron, take it off right now!"

He sprinted towards Ron, who was fiddling the bracelet yet failing to take it off. The moment his hand closed around Ron's wrist the bracelet glowed blindingly bright, forcing Bill to close his eyes.

The last thing he remembered was the vague sensation of falling and his head hitting the rock floor.

xxx

Bill got up from the floor, dazed. Clearly the bracelet had been a magical item.

"Bill?" Ron was sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What happened?"

"Magical item," he replied, hurrying over to Ron and casting spells on the bracelet which was still around Ron's wrist. "Can you take it off?"

Ron yanked at the bracelet but despite his effort, it didn't so much as budge.

"I thought so. Is it hurting you in any way?" Ron shook his head. "Then let's go. We have to show Johnson."

They both climbed up the stairs, Bill practically leaping in his hurry. They had found what seemed to be a priceless artifact in the chamber, something that hadn't been discovered during the search done by him and other curse-breakers. He couldn't fathom how it was possible. It was impossible to have missed it and yet it was certainly there. Had someone planted it?

He'd reached the landing when he froze, eyes widening in surprise. For the statues by the side of the staircase were no longer white stone. Vibrant paint covered the statues and the walls, the drawings much more visible. He turned to see Ron equally gobsmacked.

"The bracelet," whispered Bill, suddenly reaching a conclusion. "The bracelet must have undone an illusion that made this tomb look like it was ruined. It was well preserved all along!" His gaze was stuck to the beautifully drawn hieroglyphics. The tomb had been surprisingly well preserved before, and now it was breath-taking. He remembered that he'd been about to find his colleague.

"Johnson," he called out, running towards the statues of the ten women. "Johnson." There was no sign of Johnson or of any of the Weasleys.

"Must've gone outside," said Ron, and Bill nodded. They both stepped outside, and Bill cast a look around for the vivid red hair of his family members.

"Bill, look!" came the urgent voice of Ron, and Bill spun around to see what he was pointing at. He found himself once again with his mouth agape.

Right behind the tomb loomed the Great Pyramid. However, instead of its golden yellow colour, it was white. The whole pyramid was white, and sunlight glinted off the smooth sloping sides of the pyramid. He could scarcely believe his eyes and was about to go and take a closer look when we he became aware of people approaching them.

They were men of varying ages, all of them wearing white shendyts. Most of them wore jewellery; earrings or bracelets or anklets in a rustic colour. Bill discreetly slipped his wand back into it's holster, mentally rehearsing his greeting. He'd become adequate at conversing in Arabic.

The man at the front of the group shouted something at Bill, his voice carrying over easily. His voice was loud and booming and there was a scowl etched on his face.

"What did he say?" asked Ron.

"I don't know," replied Bill, his mind whirling. Another man was now saying something, and he was pointing at Ron. More people were shouting now, all of them raising their voices and after something that resembled a war cry, they started running towards the two brothers.

A quick headcount showed Bill that there were too many people to take on without magic. He had to act fast if they were to escape. Drawing his wand, he stunned three of the men before he grabbed Ron's hand and broke off into a sprint. The group stood shocked for only a second before they started chasing them. Bill looked over his shoulder to see that the group was catching up to them, and Ron was barely able to keep up as it was. Could he stun the whole group?

Another thought entered his mind and Bill grinned. "Hold on tight, Ron." He focused on some palm trees visible in the distance. Concentrating, he spun around and apparated by the palm trees. After quickly scanning the horizon he apparated two more times, each time to a place that was visible to him and finally coming to rest by a pile of bricks. There were houses seen in the distance before they crouched down behind the bricks.

"What happened there?" cried out Ron.

"You saw the white pyramid, didn't you?"

"Huh? Bill-"

"You saw it, right?"

Ron nodded. "Did the bracelet restore that as well?"

"No, I don't think so." He absent-mindedly twirled his wand between his fingers. "I have two theories. One is that the bracelet allows us to see the tomb and pyramids as they looked like when they were first built. Sort of like a Pensieve."

"But I thought that you don't interact with people in Pensieves."

"That's because they're actual memories. These could be just images." _Hallucinations._ The word popped into Bill's mind and he dismissed it immediately. Being trapped in his own mind was horrifying. "I have a second theory. It's much easier to explain."

"What?"

"Time travel," said Bill simply. Ron's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened.

" _What?_ "

"Both the tomb and the Great pyramid looked new, as if they were made not too long ago. The men that were chasing us didn't speak Arabic."

Ron looked as pale as a ghost.

"That's why I only apparated where I could see. If we had indeed time travelled, the places I visualise wouldn't be the same. I didn't want to take the risk of it going wrong."

"So, Percy must be here too?"

"How could he have? We found the bracelet still in the chamber."

"But he didn't come out of the chamber, I'm sure of it. So, he must be here. Or could he have travelled to a different time?"

He really hoped not. "He's probably in this time."

"How do we find Percy then, Bill?" That was a good question. However, he didn't quite have an answer for it. "Did the men realise we were time travellers?"

"I don't think they thought we were time travellers. Probably thought we were grave robbers. One of them pointed at your bracelet, Ron."

"What would've happened if they'd caught us?"

"Robbing from Queen Meresankh III's grave would be no trivial matter." They both lapsed into silence. Bill wasn't getting any feasible ideas to find Percy. He didn't think twice about throwing himself into danger, but he couldn't endanger his younger brother!

"Percy must have been captured," announced Bill after a couple minutes of silence. A fairly safe plan had formed in his mind.

"What?"

"If those men saw him exiting the tomb, they would have captured him. Percy couldn't have apparated away like we did. If he was captured, he might be held in a prison until trial. We have to find him fast. If he's accused of being a grave robber, he'll face trial rather quickly." He dearly hoped that they weren't already late.

"Where would they keep him?"

"I'm not sure. But we can find out. I'll transfigure both our clothing and we'll disguise ourselves. Then we'll head over there." He gestured in the direction of the houses. "We can ask them for help. Even though I can't speak or understand them, I can draw hieroglyphics to make them understand. Perhaps they'll lead us to the prison. We must look perfectly at ease and unbothered. Think you can go through with this?"

At Ron's nod, Bill transfigured his own robes into a white shendyt and conjured up a pair of copper anklets for himself as well as copper earrings. He then transfigured Ron's robes into a white shendyt as well.

Ron yelped. "Do I _have_ to wear a kilt?"

"That's called a shendyt, not a kilt," he explained as he conjured up copper bracelets for Ron. "Besides, that's what all men wear. Why, would you rather be dressed up in a Pharaoh's garb?" he said with a grin to lighten up the mood. "You'd have to be decked out in lots of gold jewellery though."

Ron snorted and Bill continued with a smirk. "You'd still wear a shendyt though, just a fancier one. If you're so adverse to it, maybe we could dress you in leopard skin like a priest-" He suddenly trailed off.

"What's wrong, Bill?"

"This plan won't work. I've just remembered that commoners can't read." He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it. "Only scribes and priests know. Perhaps some Pharaohs." He tapped his wand against the ground impatiently. They had already lost too much valuable time and still had no plan of action.

"How about we just get caught too? Wouldn't they take us to wherever they're holding Percy? Then the three of us can make a break for it."

"Too risky. I can't do anything that puts you at risk, Ron."

"But if we don't go now, Percy will be at risk! You said yourself that he'll face trial quickly. Besides, you can always use magic if we're in trouble.

It was true. They couldn't afford to waste anymore time.

"Fine," gave in Bill, re-transfiguring their clothing into robes and vanishing the copper jewellery. "We'll make them believe that we're going to try again to rob the grave."

Bill desperately hoped he wasn't making a stupid decision. A solemn, determined look passed between the brothers before Bill apparated them both.

xxx

They apparated right in front of the entrance of the tomb and were spotted that very instance. Clearly, security had been increased. Bill put up little resistance as the men captured him, though taking care to put enough resistance that it didn't seem suspicious. The men shouted in loud voices as they roughly forced him into shackles.

The harsh desert heat beat down on them as they were made to walk in the chains. Bill kept shooting glances at Ron every now and then, worried that he wouldn't be able to hold up. Ron was plucky though, and Bill could see that he was making an effort to look bold. _Gryffindor indeed_.

As they drew closer to a crowd it struck Bill that they weren't being taken to prison. No, they were being taken straight to the public trial. The plan had been to find Percy in prison and apparate out. With the guards and the crowd, the plan needed some modifications and he had to come up with fast.

Both wizards were led onto a platform in the middle of the crowd and forced onto their knees. There was another person kneeling, a person donned in wizards' robes. A person with vivid red hair that gave an exclamation of surprise when he saw the two newcomers.

Bill breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Percy looking relatively unharmed. There were two guards on either side of each of them and a well-dressed man in front of them. Judging from his clothes, Bill discerned that he was a vizier.

A hush fell over the crowd as the vizier started talking, gesturing with hands which made the sunlight glint off his golden bracelets. His voice became louder as he talked and as he said the final statement and the crowd cheered, Bill knew the moment had come.

With a whispered _Accio_ , his wand jumped into the palm of his hand and he discreetly shot red sparks into the air, effectively distracting the crowd and the guards. A whispered _Bombarda_ , reduced his shackles into dust and he shot off two consecutive stunners at the guards on either side of him. He started to do a series of quick spells; more stunners at the guards and two other spells which undid the shackles that bound his brothers. After shooting off another round of red sparks, he started to run away.

The guards sprinted after Bill, hot on his heels, not noticing the fact that the other two prisoners had also escaped. Bill realised that the guards were too close to him, saw his brothers from the corner of his eye and apparated next to them.

He immediately fell at their feet as a large gash appeared on his upper arm, blood seeping out in gallons. "Bill!" shouted his brothers, yet he didn't pause for even a moment. He steeled himself and got up, grabbed both of his brothers and apparated away.

xxx

They apparated behind the same pile of bricks and Bill sunk to the ground with a groan. Ron was looking at Bill's arm with a look of absolute horror while Percy looked utterly confused.

"Don't worry, it's not fatal. Just lost concentration when I apparated and splinched," explained Bill as he made a considerable effort to smile. He needed to reassure Ron. The wound was treatable, but it wouldn't be a pretty process. "So, Percy, tell us how you got here."

"Well. Fred and George led me down to the tombs and did a sticking charm on my feet, so I was stuck to the floor. I called out but no one came so I thought I'd have to wait for the sticking charm to wear off. After a while, I saw a bracelet on the ground and crouched down to take a closer look at it."

"This one?" asked Ron as he showed Percy the golden bracelet.

"Yeah. _Why_ are you wearing it?" Bill grinned at the tone, despite his pain.

"I don't know!" came the indignant reply

"Anyway, I bent down to touch it-"

"Ahah! You touched it too."

"I touched it Ron, I didn't _wear_ it. It glowed brightly and the next thing I know I'm waking up in the chamber and the sticking charm had worn off. The bracelet wasn't there, and when I went out of the tomb I got captured."

"I wonder why the bracelet didn't travel with you. Maybe it was because you'd only touched it and didn't wear it?" said Bill as he straightened his healed arm. "We need to figure out how the bracelet works so we can go back in time."

As he moved to cast spells on it, he suddenly exclaimed. "It's glowing again!"

"How?" asked Ron.

"I didn't do anything. Quick Perce, hold on to Ron," said Bill as he grasped onto Ron's wrist. The light was once again blindingly bright.

xxx

The three brothers woke up in the chamber, dazed and chalked it up to the twins' spell. They exited the chamber only minutes after they'd first entered.

None of them remembered the adventure they'd had nor of the bracelet, which had disappeared. Bill found a gash on his arm that wasn't there before, yet he shrugged it off as a minor injury he'd acquired without noticing,

Later on, the story was told in the family as a funny anecdote. _Remember the time Fred and George tried to trap Percy in a tomb?_


End file.
